Monday

~A Valentine's Table & Chocolate~

Today I set the table for Valentine's Day dinner. There are 4 placesettings, for the photos. I'll remove 2, for our meal, since we will be having dinner for 2, Valentine's evening.

I used white Mikasa French Countryside dinner plates, square salad plates in red, small cream trimmed in black plates, red quilted placemats and white damask napkins. The heart ornaments are from Michaels as is the ribbon. The glassware is Mikasa. I can't remember the pattern. Found these at an outlet store closing.

The candle holders are from our Christmas storage. They are sitting on a square silver colored charger. I spread bath salts around the candle holders and set heart ornaments here and there.

I haven't decided the menu for Thursday evening. I imagine some sort of salad, perhaps a chicken dish. I found some wonderful fresh asparagus today. It will definitely be part of the menu.

Naturally, it would not be Valentine's Day without chocolate! I made the dessert, shown below, as a surprise for Xanti, Sunday. This is one of her favorites. I seldom make it, because it makes a large amount. And because it's too decadently delicious!! We'll have chocolate on Valentine's Day. This was a pre-Valentine treat.

Debbye Turner, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (Mizzou '91), motivational speaker and Miss America 1990, hosted an afternoon television show when she worked for the St Louis NBC affiliate, KSDK, Channel 5. Show Me St Louis presents interesting people and places in St Louis and surrounding communities, during the 1/2 hour broadcast. Now and then Debbye added a cooking segment. She made this delightful chocolate trifle, she called Death By Chocolate, during one of these segments. There are many presentations of Death By Chocolate. Some might call our dessert simply a chocolate trifle, but our family has always called it Death By Chocolate, as Debbye did.

I photographed the dessert with one chocolate dipped strawberry. Of course, I added several more before taking it to the party.

~Death By Chocolate~

1 Brownie Mix, prepared

1 large container instant chocolate pudding prepared

2 large containers whipped topping (Cool Whip)

7 to 10 Heath Bars

Strawberries for garnish

Bake Brownies according to directions on box

Prepare pudding as directed

Fold 3/4 of one container whipped topping into prepared pudding.

Crush Heath Bars

Crumble brownies and place 1/2 in bottom of trifle bowl.

Next spread half the pudding mixture, followed by half of the crushed Heath Bars. Top the crushed candy with a layer of plain whipped topping. Begin layering again, with crumbled brownies, etc. End with plain whipped topping. Garnish with strawberries, plain or chocolate dipped. Enjoy!

MOLLY

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think of you.~John Wooden

It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, that we will begin to live each day to the fullest; as if it were the only one we had.~Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross~